Wednesday, March 14

Guest Author & Giveaway: Karenna Colcroft


Writing What I Want
Many authors choose a particular genre, subgenre, gender pairing, etc. to write about. In some ways that’s expected; an author wants to build a brand, and part of that brand might include having books that are related in some way. And some readers become annoyed when, for example, an M/M romance author they enjoy reading turns out to also write heterosexual romance.
Personally, I’ve found that I can’t limit myself that way. When I started writing romance, I wrote exclusively heterosexual, mostly contemporary, stories. But that wasn’t all I wanted to write. I wanted to do some paranormal books. I also wanted to do some M/M romance, though I didn’t know as much about that at the time. And I wanted to do some BDSM romance.
When some authors cross boundaries within the romance genre, they choose different pen names for each different thing they write. Partly that’s a matter of keeping things separate, and partly it’s to avoid confusing or annoying readers. I couldn’t do it that way. When I wrote my first M/M romance story, the short story “With this Flower,” which appears in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Wishing on a Blue Star, I was already juggling two pen names. I had Karenna Colcroft for romance, and a different name for the young adult fiction I also write. I didn’t want to add another pen name to the mix; I was confused enough as it was.
I chose to write that story because, as I said, I’d been wanting to write M/M romance anyway, and the anthology was honoring author Patric Michael, with whom I’d become friendly on a Yahoo loop. I couldn’t imagine not participating. So I took the chance.
That wasn’t the only M/M story I’ve written. In 2010, a conversation with some friends led to my writing a thousand-word scene to explain how a werewolf could be vegan. That scene grew into my M/M paranormal romance novel Salad on the Side, which was published in June 2011 and is now the first novel in my series Real Werewolves Don’t Eat Meat, from MLR Press.
I’ve continued writing heterosexual romance, and now I also write M/M romance. Both under the name Karenna Colcroft. I haven’t gotten around to the BDSM romance yet, but I have one in the planning stages. I don’t sit down and say, “Oh, I need an M/M story, what can I write” or anything like that; I get an idea, and the characters tell me what their sexuality is and how many of them there are. (I have one heterosexual ménage novel—two men and a woman, no contact between the men, and am planning a gay male ménage.)
I write what I want and what the characters seem to want from me. And I enjoy every minute of it.
What are your thoughts on authors who don’t stick to one type of book? Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win an e-book from my backlist. You can find out more about me and my books on my website, www.karennacolcroft.com

5 comments:

spmcbee said...

I like when an authors tries different genres. If it's an authors that I likealready know and enjoy then I'm more open-minded and know that I'll most likely enjoy the read.

Pommawolf Emeraldwolfeyes said...

Thank you for sharing about your writing! I so enjoy learning about how authors come to write the stories that they do, and appreciate their willingness to share them with the readers...*S*
I love all the erotic romance genres. I love that authors explore the depth of their stories, and the characters that they develop through those varied genres. I love the emotional connection I get to the characters as I read them. I want authors to write what moves them, and it doesn't matter what name they use as long as the author is happy with what they are creating. I have always felt that writing is an art form to the highest degree, and feel blessed that I get the chance to feel their art through reading their stories. I personally don't understand how some readers get upset over the difference an author chooses to write under as long as the author is happy...*S*

Darcy
pommawolf @hotmail.com

Cathy M said...

It's always the storytelling that snags me, and I am game to try out different genres from a favorite author.

caity_mack at yahoo dot com

Fedora said...

I tend to like it when an author writes more than one genre since I like to read more than one genre :) And typically, if I like the author's voice in one genre, I enjoy it in others. So explore to your heart's content, and we'll happily read to ours, Karenna!

Texas Book Lover said...

I like when authors write different genres as they make it believeable. The variation keeeps things interesting and fresh'

mmafsmith at gmail dot com

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